Organizer for a firefighter&#39;s protective emergency-response clothing

ABSTRACT

An organizer is disclosed for organizing the protective emergency-response clothing of a firefighter such as boots, trousers, jacket and helmet. The organizer of this invention eliminates the practice of placing the firefighter&#39;s jacket and helmet on the floor of the fire station during the time the firefighter is not wearing the same, thereby preventing the firefighter&#39;s jacket and helmet from coming into contact with dirt, water on the floor of the fire station.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to an organizer for the protective emergency-response clothing of a firefighter during the time when the clothing is not being worn by the firefighter.

2. Description of the Related Art

In fire stations, the response time to an emergency is critical. Normally, after returning from an emergency, the firefighter will remove firefighter's protective emergency-response clothing and will attempt to arrange or organize his/her boots, trousers, jacket and helmet in a way which will enable the firefighter to quickly don the same should an emergency arise. The firefighter will normally place his/her boots on the floor and compress his/her trousers down around the boots. The firefighter will also frequently place his/her jacket on the floor next to his/her boots and trousers. The firefighter will generally place his/her helmet next to the jacket or on the jacket. When an emergency arises, the firefighter will step into his/her boots, pull up his/her trousers, reach down and grasp his/her jacket, don the jacket and then reach down to retrieve his/her helmet. While this method does facilitate the firefighter to quickly dress, it poses a problem in that the jacket and helmet, which are very expensive, may be subjected to dirt and water while resting on the floor. The fact that the jacket and helmet are exposed to dirt and water when not being worn shortens the lifespan of the clothing. Further, the fact that the firefighter must reach down to grasp the jacket and then reach down and grasp the helmet does consume valuable time. Further, it is sometimes a balancing act for the firefighter to place his/her feet in the boots without having anything to balance with while stepping into the boot.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key aspects or essential aspects of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, this Summary is not intended for use as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

An organizer is described for the protective emergency-response clothing of a firefighter such as boots, trousers, jacket and helmet. During the time when the clothing is not being worn, the organizer comprises a horizontally disposed base portion which is generally U-shaped. A first elongated support, having upper and lower ends, extends upwardly from the base portion and is selectively removably secured thereto. A generally U-shaped grab bar is secured to the first support below the upper end thereof and extends generally horizontally therefrom to enable the firefighter to grasp the same when placing his/her feet into the boots positioned within the base portion. A jacket support member is secured to the first support at the forward side thereof, above the grab bar so that the jacket support member is adequately spaced below the upper end of the first support to enable a helmet to be supported thereon. The grab bar is selectively vertically secured to the first support so that the height thereof may be adjusted.

To use the organizer, the firefighter will place his/her boots between the legs of the base portion and will compress his/her trousers down around the boots. The firefighter will then place his/her jacket on the jacket support and will place his/her helmet on the upper end of the first support. When an emergency arises, the firefighter will grasp the grab bar and will step into his/her boots with the grab bar serving as a means for the firefighter to remain balanced while stepping into his/her boots. The firefighter will then remove the jacket from the jacket support and don the same and remove the helmet from the upper end of the first support and don the same.

The organizer of this invention ensures that the jacket and helmet will not come into contact with dirt and water on the floor of the fire station as is the case during the usual storage of the jacket and helmet. The organizer not only maintains the jacket and helmet out of engagement with the floor of the fire station but also eliminates the need of the firefighter to reach down and grasp the jacket to don the same and reach down to grasp the helmet and don the same.

It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide an organizer for the protective emergency-response clothing of a firefighter such as boots, trousers, jacket and helmet when the clothing is not being worn by the firefighter.

A further object of the invention is to provide an organizer of the type described which includes a vertically adjustable grab bar.

A further object of the invention is to provide an organizer of the type described which provides a convenient means of supporting the firefighter's jacket and helmet above the floor of the fire station.

A further object of the invention is to provide an organizer of the type described which shortens the time normally used for the firefighter to don his/her protective clothing.

A further object of the invention is to provide an organizer of the type described which lengthens the life span of the protective clothing due to the fact that it is not subjected to water and dirt sometimes found on the floor of a fire station.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the organizer of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the organizer of this invention;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the organizer of this invention;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the organizer of this invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the organizer having the firefighter's protective emergency-response clothing positioned thereon or positioned adjacent thereto; and

FIG. 6 is a further perspective view of the organizer having a firefighter's protective emergency-response clothing hanging thereon or positioned adjacent thereto.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Embodiments are described more fully below with reference to the accompanying figures, which form a part hereof and show, by way of illustration, specific exemplary embodiments. These embodiments are disclosed in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. However, embodiments may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense in that the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims.

The numeral 10 refers to the organizer of this invention which is used to organize the protective emergency-response clothing of a firefighter during the time that the firefighter is not wearing the same. The numerals 12 and 14 refer to the boots of the firefighter while the numeral 16 refers to a pair of trousers. The numeral 18 refers to the firefighter's jacket while the numeral 20 refers to the firefighter's helmet.

Organizer 10 includes a horizontally disposed base 22 which is shown to be generally U-shaped but which could take other shapes as well as long as there is sufficient room between the legs thereof to position the boots 12 and 14 of the firefighter. Base 22 includes a base portion 24 having legs 26 and 28 extending from the opposite ends thereof respectively at an angle with respect thereto. Legs 30 and 32 extend from the outer ends of legs 26 and 28 respectively at an angle with respect thereto. Normally, end caps will close the outer ends of legs 30 and 32. A plurality of angle brackets 34 are secured to base 10 by any convenient means such as welding or the like in a spaced-apart manner and have levelers 35 mounted thereon.

Tube 36 is secured to base portion 24 of base 22 by welding or the like and extends upwardly therefrom as seen in the drawings. The lower end of an elongated support 37 is removably received within the tube 36 and is maintained therein by one or more bolts 38 or set screws.

The numeral 40 refers to a generally U-shaped grab bar assembly having a pair of grab bars 42 and 44 secured to a tube, sleeve or collar 46 which is selectively vertically movably mounted on support 37. As seen, support 37 has a plurality of vertically spaced openings 48 formed therein adapted to register with an opening 50 formed into tube 46 to enable a bolt 52 to be extended therethrough so that the height of the grab bar assembly may be vertically adjusted to compensate for the different heights of firefighters.

A jacket support 54 is secured to support 37 below the upper end thereof to enable the firefighter's jacket 18 to be supported thereon. Preferably, the jacket support 54 is slightly curved so that its outer ends dwell in a plane below the central portion thereof. The jacket support 54 is spaced below the upper end of support 37 at a sufficient distance so the firefighter's helmet 20 may be placed on the upper end of the support 37.

Preferably, the organizer 10 is constructed of a metal material such as steel or aluminum but it is possible that it could be constructed of a plastic material.

In use, the organizer 10 is placed in a convenient location within the fire station and the levelers 35 in the brackets 34 are adjusted so that the organizer 10 is properly positioned regardless of the contour of the floor on which it is supported. The grab bar assembly 40 is vertically adjusted to compensate for the height of the firefighter using the organizer 10. After the firefighter has removed his/her protective emergency-response clothing, his/her boots 12 and 14 will be placed within the base 22 so that the toes thereof are facing the base portion 24. The trousers 16 are then compressed downwardly around the boots 12 and 14 in conventional fashion. The firefighter's jacket 18 is supported on the jacket support 54 so that the back portion of the jacket 18 will be facing the opening of the grab bars 42 and 44. The firefighter's helmet 20 is then positioned on the upper end of the support 37.

When an emergency arises, the firefighter will step towards the organizer 10 and will grasp the grab bars 42 and 44 and step into his/her boots 12 and 14 using the grab bars to balance himself/herself. The firefighter will then pull his/her trousers upwardly to don the same. The firefighter will then remove his/her jacket 18 from the support 54 and will don the same. The firefighter will then remove the helmet 20 from the upper end of the support 36 and don the same.

Thus it can be seen that a novel organizer has been provided which maintains the jacket 18 and helmet 20 up above the floor of the fire station when the protective clothing is not being worn by the firefighter. The fact that the jacket 18 and helmet 20 are not brought into contact with dirt and water on the floor of the fire station ensures that the jacket and helmet will have a greater life. Further, the fact that the jacket 18 is positioned directly in front of the firefighter who has just donned his/her boots 12 and 14 and pulled his/her trousers upwardly to don the same eliminates the need for the firefighter to reach down to the floor of the fire station to retrieve his/her jacket. The fact that the helmet 20 is stored on the upper end of the support 36 directly in front of the firefighter eliminates the need for the firefighter to reach down to the floor of the fire station to retrieve his/her helmet 20. The convenient placement of the firefighter's jacket and helmet is believed to save precious seconds.

Thus it can be seen that the invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives.

Although the invention has been described in language that is specific to certain structures and methodological steps, it is to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific structures and/or steps described. Rather, the specific aspects and steps are described as forms of implementing the claimed invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be practiced without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended. 

1. An organizer for the protective emergency-response clothing of a firefighter such as boots, trousers, jacket and helmet, comprising: a horizontally disposed based portion; a first support, having upper and lower ends, extending upwardly from said base portion; a grab bar assembly secured to said first support below said upper end thereof which extends generally horizontally therefrom to enable a firefighter to grasp the same; and a jacket support member secured to said first support above said grab bar; said jacket support member being spaced below said upper end of said first support so that a helmet may be supported on the upper end of said first support.
 2. The organizer of claim 1 wherein said base portion is generally U-shaped to provide a space for a pair of boots having trousers compressed therearound.
 3. The organizer of claim 2 wherein said base portion includes a pair of horizontally spaced-apart support legs which extend laterally with respect to said first support.
 4. The organizer of claim 1 wherein said first support is selectively detachably secured to said base portion.
 5. The organizer of claim 1 wherein said grab bar is selectively vertically adjustably secured to said first support.
 6. The organizer of claim 1 wherein said grab bar is generally U-shaped.
 7. The organizer of claim 6 wherein said grab bar includes a pair of horizontally spaced-apart grab bar members which extend generally horizontally from said first support.
 8. The organizer of claim 7 wherein said base portion includes a pair of horizontally spaced-apart support legs which extend laterally with respect to said first support below said grab bar members.
 9. The organizer of claim 2 wherein said base portion includes a plurality of spaced-apart support members extending laterally therefrom.
 10. The organizer of claim 2 wherein said base portion includes a plurality of spaced-apart leveling members.
 11. The organizer of claim 1 wherein said base portion includes an elongated central base member having first and second ends, an elongated first base member extending from said first end of said central base member at an angle with respect thereto, a second base member extending from said second end of said central base member at an angle with respect thereto, a third base member extending from said first base member at an angle with respect thereto, and a fourth base member extending from said second base member at an angle with respect thereto.
 12. The organizer of claim 11 wherein said base members have leveling legs secured thereto.
 13. The organizer of claim 1 wherein said jacket support member has a central portion and opposite end portions which extend downwardly from said central portion.
 14. The organizer of claim 1 wherein said jacket support is positioned laterally of said first support.
 15. The organizer of claim 1 wherein said grab bar assembly is selectively vertically slidably mounted on said first support.
 16. The organizer of claim 1 wherein said base portion and said first support are comprised of metal square tubing. 